Back in February it was still a muddy construction site. Now the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge is finished and the Josephine Baker pool is open, and Paris Plage has more room than on its Right Bank location to set up wooden sunbathing platforms, children's play areas, and the requisite palm trees, misters, and beach chairs.

When it's over on August 20, the peniche bars and cafés will still be there. The amphitheatre between the Batofar and the rest of the quai is almost finished, otherwise the newly cobbled paths -- now off limits to parking -- have erased the former scruffiness of the whole Quai François Mauriac. I have to admit I kind of miss the old look of uneven cobbles, broken beer bottles, the squat-like appearance of peniches; it helped balance out the pristine look of the new library. But I'm not complaining. Anything to get more night owls into the 13th -- my end of town -- the better!

Article originally appeared on The only authentic insider guide to Paris. (http://www.secretsofparis.com/).